Monday, September 15, 2008

I am thrilled for Jay Clifford that he has his first music video and that Zach Braff is promoting the shit out of his music. Jay is a tremendous talent. His musicianship and songwriting are unparalleled and he deserves a huge following for his craft. Likewise, Braff's likability and relatability, coupled with his talent, good looks, and oh-so-indie taste in music make him a winning partner...a perfect fit for Clifford's target audience.

However, I wish the video was different. i was skeptical when they first announced that the video would be comprised of fan submitted content, consisting of lip-synching. I understand the idea behind it, giving back to the fans, giving off a relatable vibe, etc. But I really think Jay would have benefited more from a "real" music video.

I think Braff's product screams amateur (especially the shots with Jay behind a set wall) and I really just want better for Jay. Not to mention that the whole "YouTube" music video thing was JUST done by Weezer for Pork and Beans, the first single off their (yet again) disappointingnew album. (The guitars sound great, guys...but are your lives just completely superficial now or what? I'm having a hard time finding the substance in these new songs...2002's Maladroit was your last decent album.) (And what's with The Red Album...how is this album significant in ANY way? I didn't mind that you did The Green Album because your barn-burning debut The Blue Album was phenomenal and Green marked your return after a long hiatus...but it hasn't been that long since the dismal Make Believe...and this new album ain't that good either. Enough with the pretention. Deliver the goods or else I'll shake Rivers Cuomo upside down until a decent song falls out of his head.)

Back to Clifford and Braff - I just expected more out of the director of Garden State and the driving creative force behind Scrubs (besides Bill Lawrence, of course). I hope the video does well for Jay and that people like it, but I hope he goes with a director who knows what he's doing in creating a music video next time. All due respect to Braff, but stick to the stuff you know, bro.

And Jay - better luck next time.

WIKI-EDIT: Zach Braff has also directed the music videos for Gavin Degraw's Chariot (which is a pretty decent video), Joshua Radin's Closer, Cary Brothers' Ride, and Lazlo Bane's Superman (the theme song from Scrubs). According to his wiki, Braff also claims that he "know[s] nothing about music." By the way, Braff won a Grammy for "Best Compilation Soundtrack for a Motion Picture" for Garden State.

1 comments:

Right on, PK. Here's two LaGrange thumbs up to your call on this video. Let me preface the following comment by saying that I'm a fan of his work, although I'm ignorant of his solo career, which is entirely my fault and not his.

This video looked like a bunch of 19 year-olds (led by Zach Braff?) got together and broke into Jay's house, nabbed his footage and re-edited it. I'm seeing two different videos. Crazy. He's looking good these days, though.

Cheers for Jay Clifford and may the local police recover his allegedly stolen footage in a timely manner.